1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of pharmacology, neurology and psychiatry and to methods of treating sleep-wake disorders. More specifically, this invention provides methods for the use of certain carbamate compounds for the treatment of sleep-wake disorders including excessive daytime sleepiness and pathological somnolence.
2. Description of Related Art
Excessive Daytime sleepiness (EDS) or pathological somnolence refers to excessive sleepiness during the day associated with a wide variety of disorders of sleep and wakefulness. These disorders may be primary sleep disorders such as narcolepsy or they may be the result of some other medical condition that has an adverse effect on sleep patterns.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), is the primary complaint of patients seen in sleep clinics, affects up to 12% of the general population. The effects of EDS can be debilitating and even life threatening. Patients with EDS may exhibit psychosocial distress, decreased work or school performance, and increased risk for accidents. The differential diagnosis of EDS requires objective assessments, such as polysomnography and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test.
There are four major causes of EDS: (1) central nervous system (CNS) pathologic abnormalities, such as narcolepsy and idiopathic CNS hypersomnia; (2) qualitative or quantitative sleep deficiencies, such as sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and insufficient nocturnal sleep, due to e.g. chronic and acute pain resulting from various medical conditions including Parkinson's disease, urinary incontinence, multiple sclerosis fatigue, ADHD, Alzheimer's disorder, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder and cardiac ischemia; (3) misalignments of the body's circadian pacemaker with the environment (e.g. jet lag or shift work); and (4) drugs, which can increase sleepiness either therapeutically or as a side effect.
Depending on etiology, management strategies for EDS include extension of time in bed, naps, surgery, various medical devices (e.g., oral appliances, continuous positive airway pressure), and pharmacotherapy.
Fatigue and excessive sleepiness are also common symptoms of a major depressive disorder and other mood disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, and can be adverse side effects associated with antidepressant drug therapy or may be residual symptoms inadequately treated with antidepressant therapy. In addition, patients sometimes suffer sleep related side effects associated withdrawal of antidepressant therapy.
Narcolepsy is a common cause of EDS and is a disabling neurological disorder that was first recognized 118 years ago by Gélineau, J. B. (De la narcolepsy, Gazette des Hopitaux Paris (1880) 53: 626-628). Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by intermittent sleep attacks, persistent, excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal rapid eye movement (“REM”) sleep manifestations, such as sleep-onset REM periods, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations, or both. Most patients with narcolepsy also have disrupted nocturnal sleep.
For a review of narcolepsy, see generally Chokroverty, S. (ed.), Sleep Disorders Medicine Basic Science, Technical Considerations, and Clinical Aspects, 22nd edition, Butterworth Heinemann, Boston, Mass. U.S.A. 1999; Aldrich, M., Sleep Medicine, Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. U.S.A. 1999; Vgnotzas, A. N. et al., Annu. Rev. Med. (1999) 50:387-400; and Guillenminault, C., Narcolepsy Syndrome in Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, 2nd edition (Kryger, M. H., et al. (eds.), (W. B. Saunders Philadelphia, Pa. U.S.A. 1989), pages 338-246).
The symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations (hallucinations during transitions into and out of sleep, respectively), cataplexy (sudden and reversible loss of muscle tone), sleep paralysis (an inability to move at sleep onset or awakening) and REM sleep at sleep onset (Guilleminault, C. 1989). In narcoleptics, sleep occurs at inappropriate times and in dangerous and embarrassing situations. Although total sleep time is near normal, nighttime sleep is disrupted by frequent awakenings (Mitler, M. et al., Psych Clin. N. Amer. (1987) 10:593-606).
Cataplexy, a temporary, partial or complete paralysis due to a sudden loss of muscle tone, with unimpaired consciousness, is typically triggered by sudden strong emotions, such as those accompanying laughter, anger and embarrassment. In some patients, status cataplecticus, or periods of repetitive loss of muscle tone, occurs and can last for hours or days.
Narcolepsy has also been reported to occur in other animals and has been most intensively studied in canines (Foutz, A. S., et al., (1979) Sleep 1:413-421; Nishino, S, and Mignot, E. (1997) Prog. Neurobiol. 52:27-78; Cederberg, R., et al., (1998) Vet. Rec. 142, 31-36). Canine narcolepsy in Doberman pinschers and Labrador Retrievers is transmitted as an apparently single gene autosomal recessive trait with full penetrance, canarc-1 (Foutz, A. S., et al., (1979) Sleep 1:413-421; Baker, T. L. and Dement, W. C. (1985), Canine narcolepsy—cataplexy syndrome: evidence for an inherited monoaminergic-cholinergic imbalance in Brain Mechanisms of Sleep, D. J. McGinty, R. Drucker-Colin, A. Morrison, and P. L. Parmeggiani, eds. (N.Y.: Raven Press), pages 199-233).
A large number of physiological and pharmacological studies have demonstrated a close similarity between human and canine narcolepsy (Baker, T. L. and Dement, W. C. (1985) and Nishino, S, and Mignot, E. (1997)). These animals have all the major symptoms defining narcolepsy in humans, including episodes of cataplexy.
Canine narcoleptics also exhibit excessive daytime sleepiness and interrupted sleep periods (Kaitin, K. I. et al., Electroenceph. Clin. Neurophysiol. (1986) 64:447-454). Cholinergic antagonists block cataplexy in both canine and human narcoleptics (Delashaw et al., (1979) Exp. Neurology 66:745-757). α1 blockers (such as prazosin) exacerbate cataplexy in dogs and humans and can produce status cataplecticus in both species (Mignot et al., (1988) Brain Res. 444:184-188; Guilleminault et al., (1988) The Lancet 2: 511).
Drugs used to treat cataplexy and excessive sleepiness in humans are also effective in narcoleptics dogs (Baker and Dement, 1985). Narcolepsy usually does not develop until adolescence in humans, but it can be seen as early as three or as late as 45 years of age or older (Yoss and Daly, (1960) Pediatrics 25:1025-1033; Billiard, (1985) Ann. Clin. Res 17:220-226). The appearance of cataplexy, as a proxy variable for the onset of narcolepsy/cataplexy, in canine narcolepsy, develops between 4 and 24 weeks of age.
Approximately 250,000 Americans have narcolepsy (Aldrich, M. S., New Eng. J. Med. (1990) 323:389-394). Although familial cases of narcolepsy have been reported, most human occurrences are sporadic, and the disorder is generally believed to be multigenic and environmentally influenced (Honda, Y., and Matsuki, K., Genetic Aspects of Narcolepsy in Handbook of Sleep Disorders, M. Thorpy (ed.) (Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1990), pages 217-234). One predisposing genetic factor is a specific HLA-DQ allele, HLA-DQB1*0602 (Matsuki, K., et al., (1992) Lancet 339:1052. Mignot, E., et al., (1994) Sleep 17:S60-S67; Mignot, E. (1998) Neurology 50:S16-S22). Approximately 95% of narcoleptics have this HLA haplotype, compared to only 30% of the general population (Aldrich, M. S., New Eng. J Med. (1990) 323:389-394).
An autoimmune mechanism has been reported in some HLA-associated diseases such as juvenile diabetes, celiac disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (Sinha, A. et al., Science (1990) 248:1380-1388); however, all attempts to date to test the autoimmune hypothesis for narcolepsy have failed (Mignot, E., et al., Adv. Neuroimmunol. (1995) 5:23-37).
It has recently been reported that narcolepsy is linked to dysfunction of the newly discovered hypocretin (Hcrt) (orexin) peptide system. This report was based on a deletion in the transcripts of the hypocretin receptor 2 (Hcrtr2) gene in narcoleptic Dobermans and Labradors (Lin, L. et. al., Cell (1999) 97:365-376). Chemelli et al. created Hcrt knockout mice that have abnormalities of sleep control resembling aspects of narcolepsy (Chemelli, R. M. et al., Cell (1999) 98:437-451), as well.
Narcolepsy requires long-term management of symptoms (Fry, J., Neurology (1998) 50(2 Suppl 1):S8-15). Interventions can be nonpharmacologic, such as lifestyle changes, and pharmacologic, for relief of daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations, and/or hypnopompic hallucinations.
Pharmacologic treatment of narcolepsy has depended on the use of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants to increase wakefulness or to reduce the number and severity of cataplectic attacks or hypnagogic hallucinations. CNS stimulants can be effective in relieving the sleepiness of narcolepsy; however, extremely high doses are necessary to restore alertness to normal levels (Mitler, M. et al., Sleep (1993) 16:306-317). Such doses can have very dangerous side effects.
Because of these side effects, most narcoleptics use stimulants only when absolutely needed or continuously use low-level doses not capable of restoring normal levels of alertness. Periodic “drug holidays” can sometimes be employed to maintain the effectiveness of stimulants (Mitler, M. S. Sleep (1994) 17:S103-S106). Frequent naps can be effective in permitting periods of waking alertness (Aldrich, M. S., Neurology (1992) 42(S6):34-43). Cataplexy can sometimes be treated successfully with tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's), among other medications. Both tricyclic antidepressant drugs and SSRI's all appear to act by producing metabolites that activate noradrenergic receptors (Nishino, S. et al., Sleep (1993) 16:706-712; Mignot, E. et al., Psychopharmacology (1993) 113:76-82). Even with these treatments, accidents due to sleepiness and cataplexy are common and professional and educational attainments are significantly reduced in narcoleptics (Broughton, W. A. and Broughton, R. J., Sleep (1994) 17:S45-S49).
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or pathological somnolence, whether due to narcolepsy or other causes, is disabling and potentially dangerous since it produces episodes of unintended sleep, reduced attention, and performance errors. EDS, regardless of cause, is linked to a variety of transportation and industrial accidents and cause decreased job performance and considerable subjective distress. A therapeutic agent that reduces or eliminates EDS would have important implications not only for individual patients, but also for public health and safety.